The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-01-26

was a great day when Queen Victoria, in the
midst Of the Crimean war, distributed mel
ais to the soldiers who hal come home sick
and wounded At the Horse Guards, in pres
en- e of the Royal Family, the injured men
were carried in or came on crut"hes-Colonel
Trowbridge, who lost both feet at Inkerman,
and CAPTAIN Sayer, who had the ankle
Joint of his right leg shot off at Alma; and
Captain Cure, his disabled limb supported
by soldier, and others manned and dishg.
urel AMI eXhausted-and with her own nano
the Queen gave each the Crlmean medal
And what triumphant days for those soldiers
when. further on, they received the French
medal with the imperial eagle, and the Iurk'
ish medal with its representation or four
fags-France. Turkey, England and Sardi'
na-and beneath it map OF the Crlmea
spread over gun wheel.
And what rewards are suggested to all
readers of. history by the mere mention 20 OF
and the Gold Cross medal, and the medals
struck for bravery in our American wars.
But how insignificant all these compared with
the day when the good soldiers OF Jesus
Christ Shall come in out of the battles of this
world and in the presence of all the piled up
galleries Of IT, the redeemed efnss s5sn and the die
vile the spoil. The more wounds, the
greater the inheritance The longer the
forced march, the brighter the trophy. The
more terrible the exhaustion, the more gaori-
ous the transport Not the gift OF brilliant
ribbon, or a medal Of brass, or silver. or
gold, but kingdom in which we are to reign
for ever and ever. Mansions on the eternal
hills. Dominions Of unfading power: EN-
pires of unending love. Continents of ever
lasting light. Atlantic and Pacific oceans
OF billowing joy. 1t was great day
when Aurelian, the Roman Emperor,
came back from his victories, In the
front of the procession We're wild beasts
from all lands, sixteen hundred gladlators
richly clad, wagon loads OF crowns ana
trophies presented by conquered cities;
among the captives Syrians, Egyptians,
Goths. Vandals, Sarlnatians, Franks; and
Zenobia, the beautiful captive queen, on loot
in chains of gold that slave had to help ner
carry. and Jewels under the weight Of which
she almost tainted. And then came the
chariot Of Aurelian drawn by four elephants
in gorgeous caparson, ana 1olloWea
by the Roman, Senate and the Roman army;
and from dawn till dark the procession was
passing. Rome in all her history never saw
ANYTHING more magnificent. But how much
greater the day when our Conqueror, Jesus:
Shall ride under the triumphal arches OF
heaven; His captives, not on foot out 10
chariots, all the kingdoms OF earth and heaven
in procession; the armies celestial on %n,te
horses. Runbliug artillery of thunderbolts
never again to be unlimbered. Kingdoms IN
line, centuries in line, sanity, eherubic,
saraphic, archangelic splendors in line, and
Christ seated on one great rolling Hosanna.
made out of all Hallelusahs of all worlds,
shall cry halt to the procession, And not
forgetting even the humbest in all the reacn @
of His omnipresence, He shall rise, ana Snen
and there, His work done and His glory con-
sumated, proceed, amid an ecstasy such as
neither mortal nor immortal ever imagined,
TO divide the spoil.